Some readers of ASX Announcements containing links to web pages (or email addresses) have been frustrated with an apparent inconsistency in whether the links are clickable or not. This note provides some guidance on a way to include links in a PDF document so that they will (almost always) work on the recipients’ technology.

A few months after going public through an IPO or RTO, people responsible for investor relations learn how much effort is involved in being public. It’s probably harder to be public than it was to go public.

Everyone has a website, right? But does everyone have a consider online presence for investors?

Whats the difference?

A website is a place where you put stuff. Brochureware, directory information, news, reports, contact details. So that when people turn up at the site they might be able to find what they want.

There’s a whole world of marketing experts focusing on helping businesses acquire new customers.

There’s a whole world of investor relations people focusing on helping businesses acquire new investors.

From the investors’ perspective, perhaps purchasing some shares is not much different to buying shoes, or a car?

Is your investor website one of over 500 ASX listed company sites that is not yet mobile friendly?

Investors are mobile these days. We’ve all tried to look at that tiny print of a non-friendly site on our phones. It’s simply easier to look elsewhere. Your investors are mobile, too.

IRM tested 1305 ASX listed company websites (with market cap over $5m) in May 2016.

We are pleased to advise that IRM developed websites outperform the ASX averages in all categories. This is just one more way the IRM assists its clients to stand out from the crowd.

As mobile service providers improve their networks and mobile phone giants continue to push out new devices, customers are now browsing the web more from their smartphones and tablets rather than traditional computers. It is also becoming important for businesses to tailor-fit their websites to mobile users to increase and improve search engine ranking results.

In this post we will get to know what a blog is, what blogging for business could mean for your business, and how ASX listed company peers are blogging now..

First and foremost…

A blog is an easy-to-use platform for connecting with and sharing relevant information with your audience. It is a simple direct communication channel.

Understanding the key success factors for online investor relations will assist companies to make sure their online IR strategy is best helping investors move through their investor journey.

In earlier posts in IRMatters, we discussed the Investor Journey, and the touchpoints investors use.

Information and impressions gained at various online touchpoints is used by investors as they progress on their journey from identifying needs to becoming a shareholder that will recommend the stock to others.

In an earlier post in IRMatters, we discussed the Investor Journey and how it is important for the IR communication strategy to understand the journey the investor takes, and the touchpoints investors use.

Investors go through a buying process as they decide whether or not to invest in a particular company. This article explores the similarities between the investor journey and the consumer buying process and outlines our thinking on how to engage for better success.

Consumers who are buying a product go through stages of engagement before their buy decision. Similarly, when making an investment decision, investors take a journey.

In the recently published summer edition of Listed@ASX magazine, IRM’s CEO, Martin Spry contributes thoughts on what makes an effective online IR communication strategy.

Key to success with online IR is understanding the investor journey – the stages investors progress through as they learn about, engage with and become shareholders in a listed company. The online communication strategy needs to relate to investors at each stage of their journey.

Did you know, that in a world driven by communication, the need to express oneself is clearly vital? As the interconnectedness of the international community becomes much more intertwined and close-knit, the possibility of needing to communicate to someone in a language other than one’s own becomes highly likely. This need is even more pronounced when it comes to company communications.

Some time back, following the trend set by #stocktwits, #twitter introduced a $cashtag.  For those daunted by the concept of Twitter (let alone the $cashtag) we take a moment here to demystify the cashtag feature and provide some simple tips on how to be more across what’s being said about your company on twitter, because despite whether you’re participating in social media conversation about your company, it’s most likely occurring anyway.

Here we look at the value in online reporting and the variety of online annual reports that IRM clients provide for their investors.

In our previous annual reporting posts, we provided some tips on how to best plan for the annual report process, and the important checks and balances to consider when creating reports.

In today’s post, we consider the value of online reporting, and the different sorts of reports IRM clients are choosing to adopt.

Earlier this year, the Australasian Investor Relations Association (AIRA) released the findings of a major survey it had conducted into online investor communications. Here, we cover some the survey highlights, with thanks to AIRA.

In June 2015, we managed to secure an invitation to an exclusive and entertaining investor forum, hosted by Livewire – a packed room of investors gathered to see industry experts engage in lively debate around various topical investment themes.

Thanks to the Livewire team for allowing us to repost the video from the event, which features Geoff Wilson, Ben Griffiths and Anton Tagliaferro, with moderation from Matthew Kidman and introductions from Tom McKay and Arnie Selvarajah.

Brimming with inspiration from the recent TEDx talks in Sydney recently? Us too!  In case you missed the event, shared below are a couple of wrap-up articles that caught the eye of the IRM team.

TEDx is the local variation of TED, the world-famous, not for profit speech series, devoted to spreading ideas. Last Thursday, the Sydney TEDx event for 2015 was held at the Opera House, with a full program of interesting and insightful speakers.

While we didn’t make it on the day, it didn’t take the IRM team long to seek out highlights from the program.

More and more lately, we’re meeting companies that are having trouble keeping their investors updated in a timely manner. They have nice looking websites where something like WordPress is being used for content management. Mailchimp or Campaign Monitor sends ASX Announcements by email. The websites look ok, and have all the generalised tools behind them to keep the content up to date. And they are really cheap. But….

We live in a mobile, web enabled world. By the day, the number of people who are accessing websites using smart phones or tablets is increasing.  Watching this trend, good web developers sought to deliver a better experience for people using mobile devices, and “responsive web design” was born as a result.